Maps of the American Revolution

Lt. Col. Thomas James. "Plan of the Attack on Fort Sulivan (sic), near Charles Town in South Carolina, by a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, on the 28th of June 1776, with the Disposition of the King's Land Forces, and the Encampments and Entrenchments of the Rebels from the Drawings made on the Spot." London: William Faden, 10 August 1776. Early state. 10 3/4 x 14 1/2 (neat lines) plus full margins. Engraving by W. Faden. A few points of color. Excellent condition. Nebenzahl: 64; Stevens & Tree, 14c with the large bottom margin that proves that a letter press addition was never a part of it.

One of William Faden's rare and important series of Revolutionary War battle maps. During the Revolution, the British public, government and military had a great desire for accurate maps of the events from across the Atlantic. The most important publisher of such maps was William Faden, who had access to many of the original drawings sent by soldiers and surveyors from the Americas. These provided then, and provide now, the most accurate and contemporary look at the battles, events and locations of War. This is the rare first state of Faden's map showing the British attack on Fort Sulivan [sic] at the entrance to Charleston Harbor (later renamed Fort Moultrie).

Clinton's army was landed unopposed on Long Island, to the north of Sullivan's, as Clinton's maps showed an easy ford to the mainland. This was in error, and thus Clinton's troops became stranded spectators to the action that followed. Parker moved his fleet to bombard the fort, which was under the command of Colonel William Moultrie. The back of the fort was incomplete, but the palisade wall along the ocean front, made of palmetto logs, was able to withstand the fire, while the return cannonade caused much destruction in the British fleet. Finally, Parker was forced to withdraw, and Clinton's expedition ended in failure. This map shows the position of the British troops on Long Island, Fort Sullivan and the British fleet during the bombardment. An inset plan of the fort is included in the top left. This early of the map was printed prior to the addition of soundings and a second pontoon bridge from Sullivan's Island to the "Rebels Camp." $6,500

Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres. "A Chart of Delaware River from Bombay Hook to Ridley Creek, with soundings &c. taken by Lt. Knight of the Navy . . ." with a second panel entitled "A Plan of Delawar [sic] River from Chester to Philadelphia. Shewing the Situation of His Majesty's Ships &c on the 15th. Novr. 1777 surveyed and sounded by Lieutenant John Hunter of the Navy." Prepared for The Atlantic Neptune. London: Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 1 June 1779. Etching. 30 1/4 x 21 7/8. Former folds reinforced and fill in on 4 1/2" at bottom, center. Nebenzahl, 136.
After the French & Indian War, the job of surveying and mapping the American coastline fell upon J.F.W. DesBarres, who had commanded the mapping of the coasts of present-day eastern Canada. The resulting atlas, The Atlantic Neptune, was called by A.P. Loring, "the first great marine atlas of the eastern seaboard." Loring quotes Obadiah Rich who called it, "the most splendid collection of charts, plans and views ever published." This is an excellent example of the maps from this important atlas.

It is a chart of the Delaware River to as far as Philadelphia in two panels. As stated on the chart, it was "Composed and Published for the use of Pilotage by J.F.W. DesBarres Esqr," so the focus of detail is on the nature of the river itself. The coastline, mouths of creeks, shoals and sand bars, and soundings are shown with careful precision, and rhumb lines are used to help with navigation of a ship up this relatively narrow river. Inland information is sparse because it is limited to that which was visible sight from navigable waters. An occasional higher elevation is shown and a basic town plans for New Castle, Chester, and Philadelphia are present. Conventional symbols for swamps and waterways are shown for as much as a few miles inland in places. In the inset map showing from Chester to Philadelphia shows the situation of the British ships off Philadelphia in mid-November, 1777. $4,750

Two of ten maps prepared for John Marshall's Life of George Washington which was published in French, Dutch, and German as well as English in the first decade of the nineteenth century. The first American printings were in 1804-07. Long the standard biography, a separately issued atlas provided the best maps of the campaigns of the American Revolution then being issued.

"Plan of the Investment and Attack of York in Virginia." 9 1/8 x 8 1/2. Line engraving by Francis Shallus. With fold as issued. Full margins. Very good condition. $275

"A Plan of the Country from Frog's Point to Croton River shewing the Positions of the American and British Armies from the 12th of October 1776 untill the Engagement on White Plains on the 28th." 16 x 8 1/2. Line engraving by Marshall. With fold as issued. Full margins. Very good condition. $250

Reference Available:

Kenneth Nebenzahl and Don Higginbotham. Rand McNally Atlas of the American Revolution. New York, 1974. Cloth. Out of print. A fine history using excellent illustrations of maps of the period. $125.00